Ninetails
Ninetails (九尾, Kyuubi, "Nine Tails") is a large, powerful, nine-tailed kitsune who rules Oni island. Story Background Ninetails was the ruler on Oni island. The Dark master Yami had promised her to be lord of Ryoshima Coast. However, when Ninetails threatened the Dragonian race, Water Dragon rose to face her. Ninetails gravely wounded the Water Dragon, but in the process the Dragon was able to pull Ninetails' Dark Instrument, the Fox Rods, the source of her power, from her grasp and swallowed it before returning to the bottom of the sea. Weakened, Ninetails was forced to kill and impersonate priestess Rao of Ankoku Temple to get into Sei'an City and get close to Queen Himiko in order to kill her before she could find the location of Oni Island. With the help of Blight, she poisoned Sei'an City with a poisonous fog. However, when Amaterasu and Issun turned up and threatened to overturn her plan, the evil demon decided to get rid of the interlopers. Okami In the form of Rao, Ninetails had Amaterasu retrieve Rao's Prayer Slips, incredibly powerful paper slips capable of defeating demons which she needed to further her disguise. She then claimed that the Fox Rods were actually a powerful holy object sought after by Queen Himiko and claimed they were in the Sunken Ship, a wrecked ship in the ocean near Ryoshima Coast sunk by the Water Dragon. She helped Amaterasu enter the ship and, using Rao's Prayer Slips, helped her conquer the demons within, but when this was actually a plot to lure in the Water Dragon to consume Amaterasu: indeed, when the Water Dragon began chasing them on the way back to shore (trying to kill Ninetails again), she used her supernatural abilities to escape and left Amaterasu to the dragon. However, unbeknownst to Ninetails, Amaterasu evaded the dragon and used a holy device found in the Sunken Ship, the Lucky Mallet, to defeat Blight, clearing the mist from Sei'an City. Although Ninetails' plans were foiled, she now saw a chance to use Amaterasu to retrieve the stolen Fox Rods. After an audience with Queen Himiko, Amaterasu ventured to North Ryoshima Coast. After much adventuring, she entered the Water Dragon and retrieved the Dragon Orb, a device which was said to be able to control the dragon. However, on the way, she also retrieved the Fox Rods: but, after the removal of the Dragon Orb, the Water Dragon died and Ryoshima Coast had now lost its guardian deity. 'Rao' then appeared and took the Fox Rods, claiming they would be used for good, and hurried off. Amaterasu gave the Orb to the Dragonian queen, Otohime. It was revealed that the Water Dragon had actually been Otohime's husband, King Wada, who had used the power of the Dragon Orb to confer upon himself the power of the Water Dragon. In light of these sad revelations, the King's spirit sent one last message to the heroes through the Orb: an image of Rao being attacked at Ankoku Temple. Not knowing if the vision was in the past or the present, Amaterasu raced to Ankoku Temple. In front of Ankoku Temple, Amaterasu saw Rao, but she looked different, and moved like a ghost. Rao led Amaterasu to a secret cave with a well in it. Leaping down the well, Amaterasu found a secret tunnel containing the remains of a woman, wearing very familiar nuns' clothing... Continuing through the tunnel, the heroes ended up in a room of Queen Himiko's palace. However, they found the court lady who guarded the lift to Himiko's quarters had been knocked unconscious. Hurrying to the queen, Amaterasu only found her lifeless corpse, with 'Rao' standing near. 'Rao' claimed the Dark Lord Ninetails had appeared and killed Himiko: but Amaterasu and Issun were not fooled. Pouncing at 'Rao', Amaterasu attacked the fake priestess only for her to dodge Ammy's attack. It was then that 'Rao's true form was revealed: Ninetails, Dark Lord of Ryoshima Coast! The vision sent by King Wada had not been a call to protect Rao, but had instead shown Rao's death at the hands of Ninetails. Ninetails attacked in a hybrid form, mixing Rao's body with her own fox face and abilities. She also consumed Himiko's crystal ball, consuming the last means to find Oni Island. Amaterasu was able to defeat this creature, making her retch up Himiko's crystal ball, but Ninetails began turning into her true form. However, the size of the room deterred her and instead fled back to Oni Island, her dark powers restored by the Fox Rods. All hope seemed lost.. but Queen Himiko's spirit appeared in her crystal ball. She had planned this all along, and had in fact been harnessed by Ninetails' dark powers when the evil fox had consumed the ball, allowing her to pinpoint the place Oni Island was set to appear... But Amaterasu must get there by sunset, or the island would shift its position, and all hope of stopping Ninetails would be lost. As Himiko spoke those words, the crystal ball shattered. Paying the price for using Ninetails' dark powers, Himiko ascended to the heavens, praying for Amaterasu's success as she left the mortal plain. Amaterasu and Issun ran to North Ryoshima Coast, but were doubtful, as Himiko had also previously said that Oni Island was protected by a mystic barrier which only the now-deceased Water Dragon could penetrate. However, as the arrived at the coast, they were in for a surprise. Otohime, the Dragonians' queen, was waiting for them. She had sensed Himiko's dying grief even from the depths of the sea, and knew what was to be done. The Water Dragon, she revealed, had died, but the Dragon Orb was the source of its power and, with a sincere prayer, Otohime could become the new Water Dragon and breach Oni Island's barrier. Utilising the power of the Dragon Orb, Otohime became the Water Dragon broke the barrier, becoming a living bridge to Oni Island. Amaterasu entered the dark fortress and made her way to the top, retrieving a new Brush Technique, Thunderstorm, along the way. However, when she reached an altar at the very peak of the island, there was nothing... Except a very sinister fox-shaped constellation in the sky... Eventually when Ameratsu defeated Ninetails' 9 spirits which resided in the tips of his tails, all that remained was a worn out old fox. It became obvious that the fox which became Ninetails was nothing more than a fox who had traded it all to become young and powerful again. Amterasu defeated the fox and let her spirit rest. However, the dark, sinister shadow which consumed Ninetails left and flew back to the northern lands... Oni Island Ninetails is the fifth boss in the game, after Blight. Although its true form and abilites are kept secret until the actual boss fight, his influence is felt throughout the story arc (similar to Orochi) involving him. However, unlike Orochi, Ninetails is actually interacted with several times throughout the game in its 'Rao' persona. Thus, it has a very pivotal role in the events of its story arc, unlike almost every other boss except Yami, which is responsbile for the entire game's events. Ninetails is also responsible for alerting Amaterasu to the existence of Yami, deepening the mystery of the monsters who have been plaguing Nippon. Strategy In order to begin the boss fight, Amatersu must complete the constellation in the sky, which is actually Ninetails pretending to be a god. It then gloats briefly and then fights Ammy in a faux version of the heavenly realm where Ammy meets Brush Gods. There are two phases to the battle. In the first phase its form is a mock version of Ammy's (white fur, red markings, fake Glaive), and its attacks are either copies of Ammy's or use its tails. It will either do a powerful charge (a copy of Ammy's headbutt), attack with its fake Glaive or use its tails to spew toxic liquid or send them underground to attack Ammy. If Ammy tries to use any Brush Techniques, Ninetails will use its own brush powers to try and cover up what you have drawn and use its own techniques to attack you. This will only happen if you leave the brush screen on too long, though, so you will be fine if you draw very quickly. Ninetails can use Cherry Bomb (creates a powerful bomb), Galestorm (blows in large boulders which can damage Ammy) or Icestorm (which you have not acquired yet, but which creates large ice masses). At times it will try and charge its fake Glaive with energy. This is when you must strike. By using Thunderstorm, you must electrocute Ninetails by drawing lightning to the sword. This splits the fow into its nine seperate tails, each of which takes on the appearance of a Evil Rao, but each with distinct attributes. Most will use Evil Rao's normal attacks, but the very fat one will just try and punch you and the old one will not attack but instead will just limp across the battlefield slowly (and is thus the easiest to kill). The Evil Rao formed by Ninetails' 'original' tail will float above the battlefield, invincible, and will eventually summon all the tails you have not killed yet back to her to reform Ninetails. All tails will be invincible during the reforming process, so if you have not killed all of them you will have to try again the next time Ninetails raises its sword (this could take two or three tries). Once you have killed eight tails (since the ninth is, as mentioned earlier, invincible), the fake heavenly realm illusion will dissolve and Ninetails will be forced to show its true form: a battered, one-eyed fox with one tail. It will no longer be able to perform any attacks with its tail and will instead mostly use its charge attack. It will also still charge its fake Glaive occasionally, which gives you a chance to hit it with Thunderstorm again. It will not split itself up again (since all the other tails have been defeated), but will instead take major damage and be stunned, allowing you to attack it more easily. It will eventually die and Oni Island will dissolve into sakura petals. She is fought again on the Ark of Yamato, exactly the same as before, except this time it is not released from a constellation. Involvement Ninetails is one of the most heavily involved bosses in the game, in that you meet her and interact with her numerous times (when she takes the form of Rao) before her actual boss battle. Additionally, her influence in these encounters actually influences Amaterasu's actions and affects parts of the game. This is completely in contrast to all the other bosses, who are not encountered so often, if at all, before their battles. However, unlike most other bosses, Ninetails is only mentioned a few times before her appearance and most of her arc is not actually centred on her at all (partly through her own efforts to distract Amaterasu). Bestiary Entry: : True form of the evil that dwells on Oni Island and seeks to destroy the Ryoshima Coast. 9 souls inhabit 9 tails, each acting independently. According to legend, Ninetails can only be defended against with the Celestial Brush.' 'Burning the tails will temporarily weaken it, and a lightning strike to the sword causes the souls to split apart. Strike the final blow when the true form of the fox emerges. Quotes *"By the power of Yami, ruler of the Land of Darkness, I, Ninetails, have been made lord of Ryoshima Coast!" *"Yami is the absolute ruler of all evil beings. He is the ultimate symbol of darkness." *"Fools! Did you really think it would be that easy!?" *"Yami is the absolute ruler of all evil beings. He is the ultimate symbol of darkness. And he is nothing like those false Gods of your fairytales!" *"Prepare to face the wrath of my terrible power! A power far beyond your so-called Gods!" Trivia *Ninetails is the name of a Pokemon that looks almost like Ninetails herself *Ninetails draws in red ink. *Just before it is released from a constellation, the moon is seen to be red, with a nine-tailed pattern. This is Ninetails's way of parodying how Amaterasu's finlets appear on the sun during the game (such as when Sunrise is used and on the Day of Darkness). *The reason why "Rao's" other eye is never seen is that Ninetails' true form has lost that eye. *In the art book, it is stated that Ninetails is a demon who fancies herself as a god, hence the markings and unexpected ability over brush techniques. The boss stage is also based on the godly realm in which Amaterasu encounters brush gods in. **According to Japanese mythology, a kitsune's tails shows how old, wise, and powerful they are, with nine being the maximum. Also, when they obtain their ninth tail, they reach an all-knowing state (omniscience), which makes them achieve divinity. There are people who make offerings to kitsunes as they would to a deity. This explains why Ninetails has godlike characteristics and has the godly realm when she appears. However, as her battle with Amaterasu proved, she isn't as powerful as a real god. **The Ninetails's godly form and arena are actually an illusion; after you defeat all the tails Ninetails's true form is revealed and the boss arena turns back into the altar at the top of Oni Island. This could be symbolic of Ninetails losing her supposed 'godhood' after losing her tails. *Contrary to Ninetails's Bestiary entry, burning its tails with Inferno or Fireburst does not provide Amaterasu with any advantage in battle, since she can only hurt Ninetails when the tails are destroyed and the middle tail, Ninetails's true tail, is invulnerable to burning. *Although Ninetails is supposedly female, the Bestiary for Evil Rao states that it also has a male form, which it used to sneak into Sei'an City and attack the real Rao. *Ninetails' actions when she possessed Rao's identity are nearly identical to the legend of Tamamo-no-Mae, a courtesan of Emperor Konoe. According to the legend, Tamamo-no-Mae was very beautiful, always had a fragrant scent, and was very neat and clean. Despite her youthful appearance, she was very knowledgeable in all things and was quite intelligent. One day, the Emperor fell ill, and, after much investigation, it was revealed that Tamamo-no-Mae had poisoned him. It turned out that she was an evil kitsune who was trying to kill the Emperor. She was then hunted down and slain. **This reflects how "Rao" was eternally young and beautiful, as well as very knowlegeable. And, to a lesser extent, how she tried to kill the Emperor with the aid of Blight. *Kitsunes enter a host's body through the fingernails, or, as is probably Rao's case, the breasts. Category:Bosses